Energy Analysis Newsletter — October 2008
Energy analysis at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) encompasses a broad range of energy analysis in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), NREL programs and initiatives, and the energy analysis community. Here is the latest news on energy analysis activities at NREL:
Upcoming Events
October Seminar: Hydrogen Demand and Resource Analysis (HyDRA)
Johanna Levene
|
Screencapture of HyDRA
|
On October 9, NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) and DOE/EERE's Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) will present a seminar (in Golden, Colorado) discussing hydrogen analysis. One of the benefits of the hydrogen economy is that hydrogen is an energy carrier and can be made from different resources depending on the region. While this is a known and often-stated benefit, analyses often are based on national averages, and regional data is not taken into account. Hydrogen Demand and Resource Analysis (HyDRA) is a Web-based geographic information system (GIS) tool that allows analysts, decision makers, and general users to view, download, and analyze spatial demand, resource, and infrastructure data. During this seminar, NREL's Johanna Levene will provide background on HyDRA, which also is being expanded to provide regional data to other hydrogen analysis tools via the Macro System Model.
For more information on the seminar series — including log-in and call-in information for remote access — visit the Web site.
Upcoming seminars
December 11, 2008
"DSIRE Project: Current Trends and Challenges in Analyzing Renewable Energy Incentives" — Rusty Haynes (North Carolina State University)
January 8, 2008
"The Global Pursuit for Methane Hydrates: Advances in Exploration and Present Hurdles" — Kelly Rose (National Energy Technology Laboratory)
February 12, 2009
"Economic Development Impacts from 1,000 MW of Wind Energy in Texas, Iowa, Washington, Pennsylvania" — Sandra Reategui (NREL)
TAP Web Seminar: Energy Efficiency in Data Centers
The Technical Assistance Project (TAP) for state and local officials will sponsor a Web seminar on October 22 that explores how to increase energy efficiency in data centers. The presentation, which will be 3-4:15 p.m. (EDT), is titled "Opportunities for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers." The speaker will be Bill Tschudi of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Information about the presenters, as well as links to background materials and reports, can be found on the TAP Section of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program Web site.
Contact Misty Conrad via e-mail or by phone at 303-384-7467 to register or for additional information.
Publications and Web Sites
Some of the documents in this section are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader
Solar Advisor Model
NREL analysts Nate Blair, Mark Mehos, Craig Christensen, and Steve Janzou, along with Chris Cameron of Sandia National Laboratories and consultant Paul Gilman have published the "Solar Advisor Model User Guide for Version 2.0." (PDF 3.1 MB) The guide describes the newest version of the Solar Advisor Model (SAM), which provides a consistent framework for analyzing and comparing power system costs and performance across the range of solar technologies and markets. Capabilities include photovoltaic systems for residential and commercial markets as well as concentrating solar power and large photovoltaic systems for utility markets. Version 2.0 of the software also can model photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies for electric applications for several markets. More information on the model can be found in the SAM section of the Energy Analysis Web site.
Hydrogen Infrastructure
NREL analyst Elizabeth Brown recently published the report "Transportation Sector Market Transition: Using History and Geography to Envision Possible Hydrogen Infrastructure Development and Inform Public Policy." (PDF 1.0 MB) Based on historical transitions in the transportation sector and the drivers for hydrogen transition, targeted market development scenarios are suggested as options for hydrogen infrastructure development. In this paper, three primary scenarios for targeted development are created and tested using the HyDS Modeling Environment (HyDS-ME) to visualize the options: Energy Policy Act (EPAct) qualifying fleets, lighthouse cities, and the state of California. Each of these targeted markets has potential benefits and drawbacks for extensive market development over time. Each targeted market also possesses the important factors that inform public policy making for hydrogen market development.
Analysis Resources for States
NREL worked with EERE's Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program (WIP) to develop a new resources section for its State Technical Assistance Project (TAP) Web site. The Resources for State and Local Policy Makers and Analysts section provides information specifically for state- and local-level energy analysts, officials, and decision makers. These pages provide links to renewable energy and energy efficiency analysis tools, such as models, databases, Web sites, and documents. This resources section can help users learn about analysis tools available for immediate use, as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency areas where opportunities for tailored TAP assistance exist. Resources are organized by the following topics:
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- Distributed Generation Options
- Economic Development
- Environmental Impacts
- Financing
- Policy Options and Analysis
- Renewable Energy Resource and Supply Assessment
- Renewable Energy Technology Performance and Costs
- Sustainable Facility and Community Planning/Design
- Transportation Planning and Alternative-Fuels Options
- Utility Transmission Analysis
- Crosscutting Resources
Information on the Technical Assistance Project also is available on the site.
Analysts Meet With Stakeholders
SEAC analyst Barry Friedman and NREL lab researchers recently discussed opportunities for collaboration with representatives from IDE Technologies in Kadima, Israel. IDE technologies include desalination, low-temperature turbines that use waste heat for power generation, and heat pumps and energy-efficient vacuum ice makers for thermal energy storage (TES). IDE has subsidiaries in the United States, Spain, and South America.
On September 9, SEAC analyst Lori Bird presented to a Fort Collins City Council working session on energy efficiency and renewable energy certificates (RECs). The presentation included a brief history of the development and use of RECs, the benefits and issues associated with using them, and the intersection of carbon markets and RECs and associated issues.
SEAC center director Doug Arent attended a Danish Parliament briefing on September 22 that included representatives from the Danish delegation and a select group of industry/issue experts from the United States. This briefing was hosted by Meridian's Center for Global Leadership, which discussed future plans to visit NREL and learn more about U.S. renewable energy activities.
Doug Arent also spoke at the 2008 Northern California Power Agency's (NCPA's) Annual Meeting on September 26. His speech focused on perspectives on energy markets and environmental innovation in the utility industry, as well as the current and future viability of renewable energy-related technologies. More than 300 locally elected officials as well as utility managers and employees attended the meeting. NCPA is a joint powers agency that provides support for the electric utility operations of 17 member communities and districts in northern and central California.
A delegation of Indian scientists from the Solar Energy Centre (under India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) and Indian Meteorological Department attended a workshop at NREL in late September. The workshop focused on solar resource assessment from satellite data and the application of this methodology to a northwestern portion of India. The Indian scientists received instruction on the methodology from resource assessment experts from NREL and SUNY/Albany, with which they will then complete solar resource assessment activities for the remaining areas of India that were not covered under this initial assessment. Additional sessions will be held on analytical tools and methods that use solar resource data and market and technology topics.
For the latest updates on information regarding energy analysis, visit the Energy Analysis Web site.
|
